Download CAT 2019 Question Paper (PDF Available): CAT Slot 1 & 2 PYQs
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CAT 2019 question paper PDFs are available for download. Candidates preparing for the upcoming session of CAT exam can use the previous year exam papers available below.
CAT 2019 Question Paper PDF
CAT 2019 question papers are now available here for both the shifts. Candidates preparing for the upcoming session of CAT exam can use CAT 2019 question papers for practice. Solving CAT 2019 question paper will allow candidates to know their preparation level required for the actual CAT exam. Besides the preparation level, CAT 2019 question paper will help candidates analyse the topic wise weightage, and difficulty level of the exam.
CAT 2019 exam was held in twp shifts on the single day. Candidates had to answer a total of 100 questions within 180 minutes. Find CAT question paper PDF download link 2019.
- CAT 2019 Question Paper: Section-wise break up of questions
- CAT 2019 Question Paper: Slot 1
- CAT 2019 Question Paper: Slot 2
- Free CAT Mock Test for Practice
CAT 2019 Question Paper: Section-wise break up of questions
The question paper of CAT 2019 was divided into three sections having both MCQs and non-MCQs. The number of MCQs were more in all the sections and apart from VARC questions, all were of easy to moderate difficulty level.
| Section |
MCQs |
Non-MCQs |
|---|---|---|
| Quantitative Aptitude (QA) |
23 |
11 |
| Logical Reasoning & Data Interpretation (LRDI) |
24 |
8 |
| Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension (VARC) |
27 |
7 |
| Total |
74 |
26 |
Commonly asked questions
Difficulty level in CAT exam is not specific to any of the three slots. The difficulty level across slots may vary every year. Know how the CAT scores are normalised: https://www.shiksha.com/mba/articles/understanding-cat-normalization-process-blogId-9386.
CAT question papers are released within a week of the exam in the form of a PDF as a response sheet and answer key. Response sheet hosts CAT exam questions and answers.
CAT has 68 questions. Each question carries three marks. There is negative marking of minus one for incorrect attempts. There is no deduction of marks for unanswered questions. Total marks in 204.
In CAT exam, each candidate gets 120 minutes to solve the paper. There are three sections in CAT Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension, Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning and Quantitative Aptitude. For each section 40 minutes are allotted as sectional time limit. For PwD candidates, the sectional time limit is 53.20 minutes per section. Candidates have to complete each section within the given time limit. Since the CAT is an online mode exam, the test screen will move from first section to the next section automatically as soon as the time limit gets over. Thus candidates have to be mindful of the on-screen timer and pre-decide the number of questions to solve in each section. The Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension section of CAT has 24 questions, Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning section has 22 questions and Quantitative Aptitude section has 22 questions. It is not mandatory to solve all the questions in CAT so candidates can devise a strategy to use 40 minutes per section as per their strength and weakness.
Also Read:
- How Scaled CAT Score will be calculated for three slots
- How many questions to attempt in CAT to score 99+ percentile
- Changes in CAT question papers in last 10 years
- CAT exam: 10 popular myths busted
Benchmark Prep Against the Real CAT Exam
Over 3 Lakh candidates compete annually. The most direct way to pinpoint your performance gaps and prevent surprise pattern shifts is by practising real slot-wise papers.
⬇️ Download CAT Exam Previous Year PapersCAT 2019 Question Paper: Slot 1
Given below is detailed explanation of CAT question paper 2019, slot 1, including section-wise distribution of sections, topics and difficulty level.
VARC section:
The VARC section CAT exam paper 2019 had a total of 34 questions (24 from RC and 10 from VA). There were 5 RC passages of 550-600 words. Four passages had five questions and one passage had four questions. The topics of RC passages were:
- British Folk Music
- Topophilia
- Emperor Penguins
- Internet Shopping and Choice Anxiety
- Origin of Story of Alladin
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The VA section had 4 questions on parajumbles, three on out of context sentence and three on summary. Overall, the difficulty level of VARC was moderate to difficult.
DILR section:
The DILR section of CAT 2019 exam had 32 questions divided into eight sets. Out of eight, six sets were from Logical Reasoning and two sets were on Data Interpretation. Each set had four questions.
Logical Reasoning sets included:
- Linear Arrangement in Super Market
- Archery
- Prizes to be put in 100 boxes
- Coding
- Streets Intersection
- Dancers and Composers
Data Interpretation sets included:
- Bar Chart + Table Crimes in States
- Spider Chart on 5 vendors and 6 attributes
QA section:
The QA section of CAT question paper 2019 was of medium difficulty level. In total, it has 34 questions, out of which, 13 were easy, 13-15 were medium and 6-8 were difficult. This section had maximum number of TITA questions (11). The questions were from the following topics.
| QA topics |
Number of Questions |
|---|---|
| Arithmetic |
13 |
| Modern Math |
8 |
| Geometry |
7 |
| Algebra |
5 |
| Total |
34 |
Download CAT previous year question paper PDFs
CAT 2019 Question Paper: Slot 2
The CAT question paper 2019 of slot 2 was same as slot 1 with marginal difference in difficulty level. Given below is detailed explanation of CAT 2019 question paper, slot 2, including section-wise distribution of sections, topics and difficulty level.
VARC section:
Cat 2019 question paper of slot 2 also had five RC passages with 24 questions and 10 VA questions. Out of five RC sections, four had five questions and one had four questions. Word count of all the RC passages was 400-500. Apart from one passage all were easy to read but inferential in nature with very close options.
RC passages of slot 2:
- Dense Cities
- Google and Archaeology
- Distributing Bureaucracy
- Language& Culture
- British Colonial Policy
VA section had questions from the following topics
- Jumbled Sentences
- Contextual Odd Man Out
- Paragraph Summary
DILR section:
The DILR section of slot 2 was also same as slot 1. The two DI sets on Scatter plot on Rainfall and spider chart on Profit/loss were easy and so was the set on Venn Diagram. Some of the sets were slightly tricky, like the ones on different rows/columns and teams with languages; while sets on tournaments, doctors and setting of the paper were difficult.
- DI Sets
- Scatter plot on Rainfall
- Spider chart on profit/loss
- Different rows/columns
- Teams with languages
- Tournaments
- Doctors
- Setting of the paper
QA section:
The QA section of CAT question paper 2019 slot 2 was much easier than that of last three years. A number of Arithmetic and Modern Math questions were easier. A number of questions had a mixture of concepts. Candidates had to qualitatively know various properties and concepts, and apply them accordingly to solve the questions. Like slot 1, this CAT paper too had 11 TITA questions in the QA section. The questions were from the following topics.
| QA topics |
Number of Questions |
|---|---|
| Arithmetic |
13 |
| Modern Math |
6 |
| Geometry |
5 |
| Algebra |
10 |
| Total |
34 |
Practice:
- Verbal Ability (VA) solved questions
- Quantitative Aptitude (QA) solved questions
- Data Interpretation (DI) solved questions
- Data Interpretation (DI) solved questions - Part 2
- Logical Reasoning (LR) solved questions
- Logical Reasoning (LR) solved questions - Part 2
Free CAT Mock Test for Practice
Check below free CAT Mock Tests by Shiksha for practice. Candidates can attempt these mocks to check their preparation level.
| CAT_Mock_Test_1 | CAT_Mock_Test_1_Solutions |
| CAT_Mock_Test_2 | CAT_Mock_Test_2_Solutions |
Commonly asked questions
In CAT 2025, the following changes were seen:
- The fee amount increased from INR 2,500 to INR 2,600 for General category candidates and from INR 1,250 to INR 1300 for Reserved category candidates.
- In DILR section, number of questions increased from 20 to 22.
- Total marks of CAT DILR section increased from 60 to 66.
- Total marks of CAT exam increased from 198 to 204.
- Candidates can select five cities instead of six.
Candidates should practice CAT mock test during the day. Once, CAT admit card is released, they should practice CAT mocks at the same time as their exam slot. This will help them align their mind and body to 2 hours of rigorous test so that they can utilize their time in the CAT exam well. For example, CAT exam starts are early as 8:30 am. So, those who are not used to studying early morning will face difficulty in performing optimally if they get morning slot.
Profit and Loss is one the main topics of CAT Arithmetic, which dominates the question paper every year. About 2-4 questions are asked from Profit and Loss every slot of CAT exam.
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Student Forum
Anything you would want to ask experts?Answered Yesterday
CAT coaching institutes in Kerala that offer weekend batches are IMS (Kochi), Career Launcher (Trivandrum) and T.I.M.E.
S
Contributor-Level 10
Answered Yesterday
To choose the best CAT Coaching institute in Kerala, candidates must consider the following points:
- Success Rate of the centre
- Compare classroom vs. online/hybrid formats
- Ask about batch size, number of full-length mocks, recorded sessions/notes
- Final fee structure and refund/installment policy.
S
Contributor-Level 10
Answered Yesterday
The average fee ranges in Kerala from ₹50,000 to ₹75,000 for offline classroom courses and ₹18,000 to ₹35,000 for online courses.
S
Contributor-Level 10
Answered Yesterday
CAT coaching institute in Goa that offers weekend batches is T.I.M.E. IMS is also said to run the batches on weekends.
S
Contributor-Level 10
Answered Yesterday
To choose the best CAT Coaching institute in Goa, candidates must consider the following points:
- Success Rate of the centre
- Compare classroom vs. online/hybrid formats
- Ask about batch size, number of full-length mocks, recorded sessions/notes
- Final fee structure and refund/installment policy.
S
Contributor-Level 10
Answered Yesterday
The average fee ranges in Goa from ₹50,000 to ₹75,000 for offline classroom courses and ₹18,000 to ₹35,000 for online courses.
S
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 4 days ago
CAT coaching institutes in Jalandhar that offer weekend batches are Career Launcher and Alchemist.
S
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 4 days ago
To choose the best CAT Coaching institute in Jalandhar, candidates must consider the following points:
- Success Rate of the centre
- Compare classroom vs. online/hybrid formats
- Ask about batch size, number of full-length mocks, recorded sessions/notes
- Final fee structure and refund/installment policy.
S
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 4 days ago
The average fee ranges in Jalandhar from ₹50,000 to ₹85,000 for offline classroom courses and ₹18,000 to ₹35,000 for online courses.
S
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 4 days ago
CAT coaching institutes in Gorakhpur that offer weekend batches are Career Launcher, TIME and IMS. Candidates are requested to contact these institutes regarding more information.
S
Contributor-Level 10
Abhishek Dhawan is a content writer and editor with 7+ years of experience in education journalism. He holds a BA degree from the University of Delhi. At Shiksha, Abhishek primarily covers MBA and BBA entrance
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